SAAM inks deal for five newbuild ASD tugs with Sanmar

In a move to boost its leading position in the towage market in the Americas, SAAM Towage has signed an agreement with Turkey’s Sanmar Shipyards for the construction of five new tugboats.

A signing ceremony was held at Sanmar’s stand at ITS 2026 in Gothenburg, Sweden, on 20 May.

Based on designs from Canada’s Robert Allan Ltd (RAL), the tugs will join the SAAM Towage fleet in various countries across the Americas, including Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, and Chile. Four of the tugs will be RAmparts 2400SX-MKII, and one will be a RAstar 2900SX. These are azimuth stern drive (ASD) escort tug designs optimised for production at Sanmar Shipyards.

All the tugs will be equipped with FiFi 1 firefighting capabilities and will have high power and manoeuvrability, Kongsberg Maritime azimuth thrusters and CAT engines, and a bollard pull of 70 to 80 tonnes.

SAAM chief executive, Hernán Gómez, said the agreement was “part of a long-term roadmap to continue strengthening our fleet and supporting our customers’ growth in the various markets where we operate. Each new tug is designed to meet a specific operational need and will provide safe, reliable, and high-quality service."

This shipbuilding contract builds on SAAM’s growth strategy to 2030 and a long-standing relationship between the parties: Sanmar has built 13 tugs for the Chilean vessel owner.